Printing textile materials containing organic derivatives of cellulose



Patented Mar. 18, 1941 2,235,165

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRINTING TEXTILE MATERIALS CONTAIN- nggoRGANIo DERIVATIVES OF CELLU- Herbert Platt, Cumberland, Md., assignorto CelaneseCorporatlon of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing.Application January 26, 1938, Serial No. 186,977

6 Claims. (Cl. 863) This invention relates to the production of tex- Inaccordance with my invention, I produce tile yarns and fabrics havingcolor imparted fabrics containing organic derivatives of cellutheretoand to the colored textile yarns and losehaving printed colored patternsthereon by fabrics. This invention relates more particularly applying tothe fabric dyestuffs having an affinity to the production of fabricsmade of or containfor organic derivatives of cellulose and then ef- 5ing organic derivatives of cellulose having a fecting a penetration ofthe dyestuff into the orprinted colored design there n, ganic derivativeof cellulose and a development An object of this invention is theproduction of the color thereon by steaming the printed of printedpatterns on fabrics made of or confabric in saturated steam at belowatmospheric taining an organic derivative of cellulose without pressureor at atmospher pressure or above with 10 substantially weakening thesame. Another obsaturated air maintained below 100 C. As the ject of theinvention is the method of printing steam is saturated at belowatmospheric presfabrics containing an organic derivative of celsure itstemperature will necessarily be below lulose wherein good penetration ofthe dyestufi 100 C.' Although t s invention p m rily deals r is obtainedwithout a substantial reduction in the with the printing of fabrics madeof yarns of 0 tensile strength of the fabric. Other objects of organicderivatives of cellulose, it is applicable the invention will appearfrom the following deto the coloration of other articles containingortailed description. ganic derivatives of cellulose such as singleyarns Fabrics containing organic derivatives of celluor yarns in theform of bands or warps, staple lose have been printed by applyingthereto dyefibres, films, etc. The fabrics may be made by stuffs havingan afiinity for the organic derivaweaving, knitting, warp knitting,netting or knottive of cellulose and then steaming thefabric to tingyarns or filaments of organic derivatives of effect a penetration of thedyestuff, later scour- Cellulose in ny Su tab e man e ing the fabric toremove the carriers employed The yarns employed to form the fabric, orin the printing paste. Tendering or weakening at least a part of theyarns, may be formed of was occurring on these printed fabrics. This anysuitable organic derivative of cellulose such tendering or weakeningappeared to be particuas the organic esters of cellulose and thecellularly associated with fabrics that were printed lose ethers.Examples of the organic esters of with a deep brown color but werepresent also cellulose are cellulose acetate, cellulose formate, to alesser extent with other colors. To remedy cellulose propionate andcellulose butyrate, while this defect in printing there have beenemployed examples of the cellulose ethers are ethyl cellumany expedientssuch as, for example, partially lose, methyl cellulose and benzylcellulose. saponifying the organic derivative of cellulose The yarns maycontain, besides cellulose derivand printing with cotton dyestuffs or byadding atives, effect materials such as pigments or fillto the dyestuffsmaterials such as benzyl ethyl ing materials, dyes or lakes, fireretardants, plasaniline and/or morpholine compounds. These ticizers,sizes and lubricants. The yarns prior expedients aid in maintaining thestrength of to printing may be secured free of any coating the fabricsbut introduce special operations and material or they may containvarious types of expensive reagents into the printing operation.dressings such as light mineral oil, sulphonated 1-40 I have found thatthese expedients are not necvegetable oils, vegetable oils, sulphonatedalco- 40 essary for the production of a strong fabric with hols,polyhydric alcohols ormixtures of these.

a clear deeply penetrated, printed design thereon The dyes that may beemployed are those that if the quality of steam and the conditions ofare insoluble or only slightly soluble in water steaming are maintainedin accordance with this and that have an afllnity for the material toinvention. i be dyed. Thus, in coloring cellulose derivatives, 45

By employing this invention, good prints and any insoluble ordifficultly soluble coloring mastrong fabrics are obtained without theaid of terial or organic compound having an affinity for costly reagentsand extra processing steps. Also, cellulose ester or ether materialunder treatment by employing this invention, fabrics containing orcapable of coloring the .same may be utilized .0 organic derivative ofcellulose yarns can be for the purpose of thepresent process in print- 0printed with any suitable dyestuff having an ing designs on fabricscontaining cellulose deaffinity for organic derivative of cellulosemarivatives. As instances of suitable bodies or materials. Sharpoutlines and deep penetration terials may be mentioned coloringmaterials or are obtained without substantially weakening the organiccompounds of the classes of coloring mai terials or compounds referredto in U, S. Patents tures of the same or their equiva-l'ei'its andsimilar substances or coloring materials may be mixed with suitablecarriers to form printing pastes to beapplied to the fabric by means ofany suitable devices for applying printing pastes. The carriers to beemployed with the coloring materials to form printing pastes may be oneor a mixture of water, glycerine, Turkey red oil, organic acids and likematerials along with a body giving substance such as gums, resins, watersoluble derivatives of cellulose, starch, sugar, dextrin and the like.The printing paste may be formed in any suitable manner, for instance,in the manner in which they were formed prior to this invention.However, it is advisable to .employ slightly smaller amounts ofhygroscopic materials such as glycols, glycerines, etc.

The printing paste may be applied over the entire area of the fabric toform a fabric of a.

solid color or it may be applied locally to form a design on the fabric.When employing multiple color printing machines several different colorsmay be applied to the fabric, for instance one forming the backgroundcovering from -90% of the fabric and other colors forming local designsin the spaces not occupied by the ground color. It is also within thescope of this inven tion to employ discharge printing wherein the fabricis dyed or printed a solid color and then the printed pattern placedthereon by discharging a portion of the color and redyeing or recoloringwith a dyestuff not effected by the discharge. In this respect thecoloring material and discharging reagent may be mixed together into asingle paste.

After printing, the fabric is preferably hanked and placed in a Cottagesteamer although other methods of steaming the'fabric maybe employed,for instance, in an ager that steams the fabric while it travels throughthe same. Other methods of steaming may be employed such as steamingtowers, drawing steam through bolts or spools of the fabric, etc. Thetime during which the fabric is steamed will depend to a great extentupon the construction of the cloth and the particular dyestuif employedand may vary from 20 to 60 minutes. The duration of steam treatment inthe majority of cases does not vary materially from the duration ofsteam treatment employed in the steaming treatment used prior to thisinvention.

' The steam employed should be saturated or contain but very littlesuperheat and should also be maintained at below atmospheric pressure.The temperature of the steam will vary from 88 C.- C. and preferablyfrom about 94 C.- 97 C. under which temperature the full development ofshade is obtained in the usual length of time of from 20 to 60 minutes.Although there is less weakening and tendering of the fabric when lowertemperatures and pressures of the steam are employed, a temperaturebelow 94 requires a longer period of steam treatment o make a fulldevelopment of the shade. The pressure of the steam to which the,fabric. issubjected may be just below atmospheric pressure to a vacuumof 13" of mercury. When employing Cottage steamers it is preferable toplace the fabric in the steamer, evacuate the air to a reasonable degreeand then inject the steam maintaining suflicient suction on the exitpipe to maintain a. slightly reduced pressure.

In another modification of my invention I employ, instead of steam underreduced pressure, a mixture of steam and air under atmospheric pressureor slightly higher under conditions such that the mixture is saturatedand maintained at below 100 C., say from 88 C. to just about 100 C; Thismodification is particularly applicable for use in continuous agers.

' As an illustration of this invention, but without being limitedthereto, the following example is given:

EXAMPLE ed with a design by applying a printing paste of the followingcomposition:

Dark brown Parts 2.4 dinitro 4' hydroxy-diphenylamine 128 1diacetylamino anthraquinone 96 1.4 methylamino 5.8 aminoanthraquinone--- 30 Water 240 Hydroxy ethyl ether of cellulose(water-soluble) 416 Glycerine 24 Turkey red oil 24 Acetic acid 1 pHvalue 6.5.

After printing, the fabric is hanked and placed in a Cottage steamer,the air is evacuated and saturated steam injected therein with theevacuation and injection of steam being regulated to maintain atemperature of 94 in the Cottage steamer for 20 minutes. The fabric isthen turned and given a'similar treatment for another 20 minutes. Thefabric is then removed from the Cottage steamer and washed with water,Gardinol and rinsed with water to remove the carriers employed in theprinting paste. The fabric is found to have a well developed shade, thedyestuif is penetrated deeply into the fabric and the tensile strengthof the fabric in those places colored by the dyestuff is substantiallythat .of the uncolored portion of the fabric. There is a slight loss intensile strength at the colored portions but it is so small as to becommercially negligible.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is merelygiven by way of illustration and that many variations may be madetherein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. In a method of producing printed colored patterns on fabricscontaining organic derivatives of cellulose, which comprises the stepsof applying to the fabric a printing paste containing a dyestuff havingan aflinity for the organic derivative of cellulose and steaming thefabric in an atmosphere saturated with water vapor at a temperature of88 to 100 C.

2. In a method of producing printed colored patterns on fabricscontainingcellulose acetate. which comprises the steps of applying tothe fabric a printinsipaste containing a dyestuif having an affinity forthe cellulose acetate and steaming the fabric in an atmosphere saturatedwith water vapor at a temperature of 88 to 100 C.

3. In a method of producing printed colored patterns on fabricscontaining cellulose acetate, which comprises the steps of applying tothe fabric a printing paste containing a dyestuii having an aflinity forthe cellulose acetate and steaming the fabric in an atmosphere ofsaturated steam maintained at 88 to 100 C. for 20 to 60 minutes. l

4. In a method of producing printed colored I pattern onfabricscontaining cellulose acetate,

which comprises the steps of app yin to the fabric a printing pastecontaining a dyestuil' having an aflinity for the cellulose acetate andsteaming the fabric in an atmosphere of saturated steam maintained at 94to 97 C. for 20 to 60 minutes.

5. In a method of producing printed colored patterns on fabricscontaining cellulose acetate,

which comprises the steps or applying to the fabric a printing pastecontaining a dyestufl having an afllnity for the cellulose acetate, 5

steaming the fabric in an atmosphere saturated with water vapor at atemperature of 88 to 100 C. and scouring the fabric.

6. In a method of producing printed colored patterns on fabricscontaining cellulose-acetate, which comprises applying to the fabric aprinting paste containing a 'dyestuflf having an aflinity tor thecellulose acetate. steaming the fabric in an atmosphere consisting of amixture of steam and air saturated with moisture at a temperature of 88to 100 C. v

HERBERT PLA'I'I'.

